Lessons from Japan

VOA reporters managed to travel to Fukushima by plane, but many airports, roads and railways remain flooded or damaged throughout Japan.

Herman says that because of this, people are scrambling to find basic necessities, even in inland areas such as Fukushima. "People are just trying to find clean water. Food supplies are running out. In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. We are facing a really serious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately damaged," he said.

Overall, analysts say Japan could have fared much worse in the disaster.

Tokyo has invested billions of dollars into making the country as earthquake-proof as possible. Architects specially design high-rise buildings to flex in a quake. Tsunami warning signs and large seawalls line the Japanese coast. Even schoolchildren practice drills on what to do during an earthquake.

However in the end, analysts say that no amount of human preparedness is foolproof against the power of nature.

Black Blade: Prepping obviously wouldn't have helped everybody, but many would have been much better off if they did prep with stored food, water and basic necessities. Now they wait in line at empty stores thirsty and starving. We keep several months to several years worth of nonperishable goods for emergencies. Just common sense.

When you're born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you're born in America , you get a front row seat. - George Carlin

Yes Sir..

Living down here in Florida "Hurricane alley." Us old timers have learned what it is like too go without basic necessities for extended periods.
Help will probably eventually arrive. Hopefully?
But a lot of us down here know too be prepared. A week or two without power and water gets people too thinking.

"Man needs but two things to survive alone in the woods. A blow up female doll and his trusty old AK-47" - Thomas Jefferson 1781

In the convenience stores, there are no rice balls left. There is no bottled water left. We are facing a really serious situation in the days ahead for these people that are living in areas that were only moderately damaged,"

No rice balls or water in the CONVENIENCE stores? What's the world coming to?

I'm sad that the Japanese are experiencing hardship and even death, but this kind of reporting only makes me go Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is the reporter THINKING? OMFG, the CONVENIENCE store is short on snack food and bottled water. Oh, noz!

I have a daughter. I tell her, "911 is what you dial after you're raped. 1911 is what you should have before they try."

sj

Originally Posted by sjohnson

No rice balls or water in the CONVENIENCE stores? What's the world coming to?

I'm sad that the Japanese are experiencing hardship and even death, but this kind of reporting only makes me go Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is the reporter THINKING? OMFG, the CONVENIENCE store is short on snack food and bottled water. Oh, noz!

I dont know about Japan, only landed there once. Never got off the plane.
But throughout the rest of the Orient. What we know of as convenience stores, are small family run stores where people get their basic necessities.
Open market shopping, where sellers open and set up each day. Is where most shopping is done.
Orientals are very much into fresh food. Like killed rite in front of them type fresh. Fresh veggis not canned.
If Black Blade opened a can of his tuna in front of them. They would probably heave it out.
We were eating a dinner me and my buddy. A Thai girl we know said "No eat, rice sour, bad."
So hell. We ate hers too. Tasted good too us.
In the bigger cities, again, I dont know about Japan. It is pretty much western style. Wally World and all. As soon as you leave the big cities. It is old school. Got too be from the fresh food markets. Leave the cities and it is old school.
Most shopping and purchasing of food necessities, is done on a daily basis.
Fresh food. No Campbell soup on their shelves.
Even rice is bought in small quantities, too guarantee its freshness.
Well they will know better next time. Put some cans on the shelves.

"Man needs but two things to survive alone in the woods. A blow up female doll and his trusty old AK-47" - Thomas Jefferson 1781

Rice balls are not "fresh" veggies and meats, etc. They are a snack food/Japanese fast food. I don't doubt there are severe shortages, I'm commenting on the lack of journalism in the article.

Also,

More than 40,000 convenience stores, known as konbini, can be found across Japan.
...
Convenience stores primarily sell food including a large range of meals, snacks and sweets, such as onigiri (rice balls), sandwiches, bread, chips, candy, obento (lunch boxes), instant ramen, microwave meals and hot foods like fried chicken, nikuman and oden. Some cold foods, such as onigiri, can be heated up by the store staff.

The stores also sell all kinds of hot and cold beverages including soda, coffee, tea, water, sport drinks, juice, milk and vitamin drinks. The selection changes frequently and often varies by season as well. Many convenience stores also sell alcoholic beverages including beer, happoshu, chuhai, nihonshu, shochu and wine.

Other goods available include body care products, cosmetics, batteries, blank CDs and tapes, umbrellas, newspapers, magazines and comics. Some stores, particularly outside of the city centers, have a toilet.

Adding on to what 4th said, pretty much every house in japan with at least a square yard of unused space is committed to a garden. I have seen some pretty ingenious use of space to grow veggies and such. Even in the big cities. Ive been to iwakuni and Hiroshima, and everywhere in between those two places, and big cities have big stores. Hiroshima has a Molly Malones bar and grill for cryin out loud. You take 20 minute train ride outside the city, and the 7-11 has a garden out back. The convenience stores are all over the place, but depending on where you are, youll find home gardens and open markets.

The whole northern coast is the Japanese fishing center. The fishing villages took the biggest hit from the tsunami and some villages are completely gone and the fishing fleets are severely damaged. They will likely be importing much of their food for a few years. The fishing industry will take a long time to recover as many of these businesses are family/community owned and operated.

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When you're born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you're born in America , you get a front row seat. - George Carlin

Most shopping and purchasing of food necessities, is done on a daily basis.

From what I've read some Americans living in urban areas do the same. I always thought it was a sizzling waste of time. When I was growing up, my parents bought groceries once a month, pretty much filling up a 1970 Chevrolet Impala. Going to the commissary at the base and putting all the stuff away in the cabinets and the freezer out in the garage was an all-day affair.

I don't stretch things that far, but if I have to go grocery shopping more than once a week it's too often. I hate going to the store.